5. Makomo and Sabito

"I have nothing more to teach you."

It had been a year since Hana and Tanjiro arrived at Mt. Sagiri. After a year of training under Urokodaki, he suddenly told them...

"From now on, you're going to have to prove yourselves. See if you can improve yourself upon the basics I have taught you."

He then led them to an opening in the mountain, pointing at two giant boulders sitting there. "If you can slice these boulders in half, only then will I allow you to enter the Final Selection."

At that moment, Tanjiro and Hana looked at each other in disbelief. Is that even possible?

Urokodaki wasted no time and left them be.

"Wait! Please!" Tanjiro yelled, intending to chase after him.

"Urokodaki-san, please wait just a moment!"

But the teacher didn't listen and soon had already disappeared.

"How are we even supposed to cut these boulders in half?" He was dumbfounded.

"I'm not sure either" Hana muttered.

After that, Urokodaki never taught them anything again. They continued to practice every day by themselves, jotting down the basics like holding their breath and flexibility training.

After three months, Hana's boulder finally cracked, but it still wasn't enough. Tanjiro, however, made no progress his rock didn't even crack. He kept training harder than ever.

---

Time passed and even after six months, Tanjiro still couldn't slice the boulder.

One day, he had enough. "I NEED TO WORK HARDER, HARDER! I WON'T GIVE UP!" Tanjiro repeated while banging his forehead against the rock.

"Tanjiro, calm down!" Hana tried to comfort him.

Tanjiro banged his head against the unyielding boulder, shouting to himself not to give up. Hana leant against her own boulder the one she had finally managed to slice after months of efforts, watching her younger brother's desperation.

"You're right" Tanjiro said suddenly, lifting his head. "There's no use playing around! I can do this!"

He forced a smile before letting out a loud yell, his frustration echoing through the forest.

And then-

"SHUT UP!" a voice interrupted Tanjiro.

The sharp tone cut through the air. Both siblings froze. Hana yelped, her head snapping around, eyes searching the mist.

Tanjiro's gaze shifted past her. Hana turned and gasped.

Both Hana and Tanjiro looked up above his rock. There was a boy with salmon-colored hair sitting there. He wore a fox mask.

"A man shouldn't whine. It's unseemly," he said, looking down at Tanjiro.

Neither Hana nor Tanjiro had sensed him arrive. No sound, no scent. Just... there.

"No matter how difficult and painful it may be, shut your mouth and deal with it. If you call yourself a man, if you are a true man!"

Suddenly, the masked boy leaped out and attacked Tanjiro. Even with a wooden sword, he still bested Tanjiro, who was using a real blade.

Tanjiro fell to the ground, grunting as he did so.

The salmon-haired boy finally stepped onto the ground. "Slow," he said. "Weak." He continued, finishing his remarks "Immature."

"That's not what you call a man," he said.

His words stabbed into Hana's chest. Too harsh... How dare he speak so cruelly to her brother?!

The boy stood, landing lightly on the ground with his wooden sword in hand. "No matter how much you suffer, bear it in silence... if you call yourself a man."

Without warning, he again swung at Tanjiro, the wooden blade colliding with shocking force, then kicked him away.

"What-hey! Who are you and what do you think you're doing to my brother?!" Hana snapped, stepping forward, but the boy ignored her, eyes fixed on Tanjiro.

"What are you doing?!" Tanjiro protested.

"I'd like to know what you think you're doing," the boy shot back.

"I'm training!" Tanjiro retorted.

"You call this training?" he snapped. "Your sister managed to slice her boulder, yet you sit here with nothing to show. Pathetic."

The boy raised his sword. "Come on. Come at me."

"But... you have a wooden sword, and I have a real one," Tanjiro said hesitantly.

The boy chuckled, his voice rising into laughter. "Well, well! Thank you for worrying about me. You think you could actually hurt me with that? How amusing."

In a blur, he struck again, faster, harder. His movements were sharp, lightning quick.

"Well, you have nothing to worry about. I'm stronger than you," he said, voice ringing with pride. "Because I've sliced that boulder!"

The boy lunged, springing from tree to tree, moving so fast Hana's eyes could barely follow. In an instant, Tanjiro was struck down again, gasping as he tried to rise.

"You haven't learned anything! You haven't mastered a single thing." The boy sneered at Tanjiro.

"Tanjiro!" Hana darted forward, hand tightening on her blade. She swung at the boy, desperate to drive him away from her brother.

The boy twisted aside easily, his expression hardening.
"Stay back." His voice was sharp, almost furious. "How do you expect your brother to grow if you keep jumping in to help him? One day you won't be around anymore then what? He'll crumble."

Hana froze, chest heaving, blade still in her grip.

"He'll never get stronger if you keep shielding him" the boy said coldly. "Stop protecting him and let him fight his own battles."

And just like that, fog swept over him. He vanished.

Hana's breath came fast, her grip still tight on her sword.

"Who...who was that? Where did he go?" she whispered, looking around.

Hana blinked, heart pounding, when another presence appeared. A girl, wearing a fox mask adorned with flowers, approached quietly. Her aura was soft, calming.

Hana stood protectively over Tanjiro, though the girl's warmth reassured her.

"Who are you?" Hana asked hastily.

She knelt beside Tanjiro, who stirred awake, groaning. His eyes flickered open.

"My name is Makomo, and the boy you fought earlier was Sabito. Together, we've been watching you both," she said gently, smiling.

"Did you see him...? That strike...not a single wasted motion. It was beautiful. I...I want to be like him. Do you think I can?"

Makomo smiled softly. "I'm sure you can, since I'll be looking after you."